Civil Defense handled 150 accident cases in Jeddah last month

The Civil Defense handled 150 domestic accidents in Jeddah last month alone, according to an official.
Civil Defense spokesman in Jeddah, Col. Saeed Serhan said: “Electrical short-circuits, mostly caused by faulty electrical connections and inferior quality or imitation electrical appliances, accounted for 70 percent of the household fires in Jeddah.”
He urged people to ensure that the electrical connections in their homes are of quality materials to prevent the threat of fire accidents.
Bassam Yamani, deputy executive director of Salem bin Mahfouz Charity Foundation, stressed the need for increased public awareness about domestic safety and to train people to handle situations which threaten household safety. “More than 50 percent of accidents occur at home,” Yamani said.
He said his charity foundation has launched the ‘safe home’ project in collaboration with the District Centers Society in Kholais in Jeddah with the aim of making a positive shift in the community’s approach toward domestic accidents especially in the attitude of housewives.
“Recent statistical studies have shown that 46 percent of housewives are not interested in providing safety arrangements in their homes, while 34 percent of them have no idea about what is to be done in case of an accident,” Yamani said.
He added that the ‘safe home project’, which is supported by the Civil Defense, Saudi Red Crescent Society, Saudi Aramco, several charity societies, consultancy establishments, voluntary organizations in the province and training centers, aims to convert houses of people in the low income bracket into safe homes by installing safety devices, spreading awareness on home safety and offering training.
The program will also enlighten them on different aspects of home safety, environmental factors that lead to accidents, health risks and other matters related to safety and security.
Yamani indicated that the current edition of the project, which has made considerable improvement by learning from its experience during the past two years, will focus on the homes of all sections of society.
The program will also provide training on fire fighting, evacuation, methods to improve safety at home and providing first aid. The project further aims to repair and renovate the poor electrical connections and sanitary fixtures in houses of the low income group.
Yamani added that a distinctive feature of the project is that it aims to bring about positive changes in the attitude and conduct of the community with regards to home safety with the help of highly qualified experts and a comprehensive strategy. In order to promote a culture of safety in homes, the project will launch campaigns and family training programs on how to handle accidents in homes in addition to maintaining the environment and ensuring maximum safety of people and properties during accidents.
Yamani stressed the pressing need for the implementation of the project because of the increasing number of domestic accidents resulting in huge losses. He pointed out that families are generally reluctant to adopt basic safety measures in their homes and are also not aware of how to deal with various sources of accidents in their houses.
While the current project targets 57,000 residents in Kholais, it will enlighten more than 3,000 men and women on the fundamental principles of home safety.
It will further train young men and women on how to deal with emergency situations resulting from domestic accidents, fire extinguishing, and evacuation in emergencies, in addition to raising the community’s level of awareness about domestic safety with a special focus on housewives.
The project will also strive to make home safety a part of the culture aspired by the community with the participation of related government departments and charity organizations.